Circumstances of modern wars have placed service members at risk for harming noncombatants and engaging in other possible morally injurious acts.
A survey of Vietnam combat Veterans was conducted to test whether experiences of abusive violence toward enemies or noncombatants were directly and/or indirectly linked with drug or alcohol problems and/or suicidality via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or guilt.
This study retrospectively reviewed records from current members of the U.S. military who had completed the PTSD Checklist (PCL) at 0 and 3-months after returning from deployments. Insomnia was the most commonly reported symptom of PTSD on the PCL and had the highest average severity scores.
Service members who had recently returned from deployment were screened at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego over a two year period. This study focused on rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms upon initial return and 3 months later.
Understanding the role of spirituality as a potential coping mechanism for military personnel is important given growing concern about the mental health issues of personnel returning from war.
Active Duty military personnel participated in a study examining the role of spirituality in mental health problems. Researchers tested whether spirituality moderates the relationships among combat exposure, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidality.